


I'll Keep You Safe, Kingston

by luluwithan_u



Series: Atlas I (Sleeping At Last) x Dimension 20 [3]
Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:09:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25223680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luluwithan_u/pseuds/luluwithan_u
Summary: Kingston had something else of which he needs to take care.
Relationships: Kingston Brown & Pete the Plug, Kingston Brown/Elizabeth "Liz" Herrera
Series: Atlas I (Sleeping At Last) x Dimension 20 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1824691
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29





	I'll Keep You Safe, Kingston

**Author's Note:**

> i'm not always 100% on the "liz and kingston have children" boat BUT you know i just had to do it. the song is I'll Keep You Safe, the third on Atlas I!

[ _ “You'll be an architect _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHXa85SOWtk)

[ _ So pull up your sleeves _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHXa85SOWtk)

[ _ And build a new silhouette _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHXa85SOWtk)

[ _ In the skylines up ahead _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHXa85SOWtk)

[ _ Don't be, don't be afraid” _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHXa85SOWtk)

As Kingston walked out of St. Owen’s Hospital after his weekly night shift, he saw the sun rising over the city of New York. The buildings gleamed in orange light, looking the warmest they could, as the city bustle, the smell of coffee and street vents all rose to meet him. He breathed in, and, as he did, the city filled him with the last bit of energy it had to offer for that day - it was time to go home. 

He walked the streets confidently: he was, after all, Kingston Brown from Uptown. People greeted him here and there, and his bus felt like a kind of second hearth. As he climbed up and found a seat, still holding on to the cold railing, Kingston thought about how, not too long ago, this was where he felt at his element. The city gave him his energy, and his literal power too. Being among his people, its citizens, had been like a drink of warm coffee in the morning, readying him for the day to come with all the force of the people for whom he had cared his whole life, without any expectations of retribution, of being cared for so intimately and wholeheartedly one day. He let out a soft chuckle. He had learned many things in the past year, and yet, none matched to the importance of equilibrium.

“And here we are!” The driver said at his stop, and Kingston stood up instantly - he had not realized they were already there. “See you around, Kingston Brown. Tell Liz and little Vicky-Mae I sent them hugs, will ya?”

“Sure thing, bud,” Kingston smiled, his step lighter as he walked out. The bus quickly pulled up and off, and here he was: the streets of Harlem. The place that, more than anywhere else, he refused to leave. He smiled bittersweetly. He had agreed to always be there for Harlem, but now, someone else needed him too. 

It wasn’t a long walk to his home. Since Liz moved back in, they had rented a different apartment, a couple buildings down from his parents, and he could see from the ground that there was already movement inside. The moment he opened the door, he was hit with the loud screech of a teapot, the shimmering of eggs in a pan, and a sharp cry. Liz was in the kitchen, trying to manage the many things at once, and turned his head to him with a weak smile.

“Hi, sweetie,” she said, then turning back to pick up the pot. “I’m sorry. Pete said he’s on his way here, and I know you’ve just arrived, but I’m gonna be late and Vicky-Mae is being kind of a prick.”

“Good morning, honey,” Kingston smiled, leaving his stuff by the door and walking over to where Liz stood. He pulled her into a hug, letting the smell of her freshly washed hair overwhelm his senses. When he pulled back, he touched his lips to her forehead quickly. “I’ll take care of her. You go save some innocent lives.”

Liz gave him a helpless chuckle. “Thank you. I’ll try to remind myself of why I had a child at fifty-one in the process.”

“I’m sure you’ll find it within you,” Kingston said, holding her hand tightly for a moment before letting go. He walked inside, sighing as he left Liz Herrera and her little pantsuit behind him. “Vicky-Mae? Do I hear you crying in there?”

As soon as he called out, a small head peeked out of the last door down the corridor. Victoria-Mae Herrera-Brown, with her two little pigtail braids and a plush mouse Ricky had given her on one of the nights she stayed at the Matsuis so Kingston and Liz could have some well-earned rest, looking up at him like she had just made the world’s biggest discovery. “Pop?”

Kingston walked down to her door, then leaned against it. “Why ever are you screaming like that, baby girl? Mama needs to get to work, and Pop just got in from a long night.”

She frowned, her lower lip trembling in spite of her face not being tear-stricken in the slightest. Vicky-Mae looked truly hilarious in her starry pyjamas, lovingly gifted by her godfather Pete, with her mother’s indignant look on her face. “Mama says I have to put my PJs in the wash today, but I want Uncle Pete to see them!”

Kingston knelt by her side, putting a hand on her tiny shoulder. “Vicky-Mae, don’t you wanna look nice for Uncle Pete when he gets here?”

“Well, yes,” she seemed to consider it, but still held her frown. “But he said we’re making pancakes, and Uncle Pete always makes a mess with pancakes, so I don’t wanna ruin my nice clothes.”

Kingston sighed. He knew Pete and Vicky-Mae’s relationship was good for not only the two of them, but everyone else involved as well, it was just a hard thing to remember because of the sheer chaos Pete carried with him wherever he went. He raised his eyebrows softly at Vicky-Mae. “Let’s do it like this: if you go to bed now, and sleep until Uncle Pete comes by, then you get to wear the PJs until then. Batter is really hard to get off the plush though, so Pop will give you an old shirt to wear when you’re cooking. Sound fair?”

Vicky-Mae stood there for a second, putting a hand on her chin even, then narrowed her eyes. Kingston wanted to laugh at her pose more than anything, but he knew composure was important both for her to take him seriously and for Liz to not beat him up for being too soft. "But then Pop has to lie in my bed until Uncle Pete comes!"

Kingston sighed. "Vicky-Mae..."

"And tell me how I'm his little bean!" She piped up, pouting at him. "Please, Pop! I'll be nice, I'll even make a drawing for when Mama comes back home."

Kingston swallowed, then smiled. Her eyes were so wide, he could see the dreaminess and possibility of Nod themselves. It was hard to say no to her no matter what, but Vicky-Mae had unknowingly tapped into his greatest weakness: herself. 

"Okay, okay," he said and she squealed, doing a little dance where she stood. "Now, get back to bed. I'm gonna go tell Mama, then I wanna see you waiting for me underneath the covers."

"Okay!" She half-screamed, jumping across the room into her bed. Kingston chuckled before standing up, ready to face Liz back at the kitchen, but she stood at the end of the corridor with a smile on her face.

"You're so soft on her," Liz said, but not in her usual accusing way. "Vicky-Mae is very lucky to have you, Kingston. She got the cream of the crop."

He swallowed hard again, but walked towards Liz and took both her hands in his nonetheless. Kingston stayed silent for a moment, then pressed her fingers to his lips. "You gave her that, you know. You gave me that."

Liz put a hand to his face, kissing him softly on the lips. "I'll leave a key out for Pete. I love you."

"I love you too," he said, and, with a goodbye to their daughter, Liz was gone. Kingston cracked his own back before walking to the room, only to find Vicky-Mae nestled into a small corner of her bed. He smiled widely at her, then went to lay in the space she'd left on the bed. 

"Come on, Pop," she said, when they were comfortable. "You said you'd tell me."

"Okay, Bean," Kingston chuckled, putting a hand on her head. “When you were born, Mama and I were already really old. There were many reasons why we didn’t have you earlier, which we’ll tell you about when you’re older, but they suddenly didn’t matter anymore. The moment I held little you, warm and bundled, in my arms, I knew you were gonna be the most important thing in my life. I knew it was my duty to keep you safe.”

“And I’ll keep you safe too, Pop!” Vicky-Mae chimed in. “From all the nightmares and the monsters, all of them!”

He smiled at her. “I’m sure you will, Bean. We’ll be here together, you know? Pop will be here to hold your hand for as long as he can, so you can discover the world that awaits you outside.”

“Thank you, Pop,” she said, then nuzzled against his chest. “Good night.”

Kingston smiled down at her, watching as she cuddled her mouse between the two of them, and could almost see the purple light that started to irradiate from her. He had learned much about dreams, and, partially, that they didn’t exactly come true, but it sure felt like they did with Vicky-Mae breathing softly against it. He had so many hopes for her, more than he ever dared have for himself, and knew there would be so much she would make and do. She was a little artist, a creator, and her heart and soul were already masterpieces. The pride he felt even now was overwhelming. 

At last, he let his eyes close, allowing the exhaustion to take over him. He used to be scared of dreams, but he couldn’t be with his daughter snoozing by his side. She’d keep him safe.

_ “Our mistakes they were bound to be made _

_ But I promise you I'll keep you safe _ _ ” _


End file.
